Cirrus Rolls Out ‘SJX’ Personal Jet

Duluth, Minn.-based Cirrus Design rolled out its single-engine jet prototype on Thursday, almost a year to the day after it unveiled a cabin mock-up to customers and the press. The company has started engine and ground runs on the airplane in anticipation of first flight, which could be conducted as early as this month. Dubbed “V1” by Cirrus, the prototype (N280CJ) is registered to “Cirrus Jet Co.,” according to FAA records. While the aircraft manufacturer refers to the model as “the-jet,” the FAA registry identifies it as the SJX, which would be in line with the naming convention for Cirrus’ SR20 and SR22 pistons (“S” stands for “single” and “R” stands for “reciprocating engine”). Logically, the “J” in the model name stands for “jet,” but Cirrus won’t comment on whether the “X” will stay or be replaced later by a model number. Although a final name and price have yet to be set for the personal jet, Cirrus claims it has orders for more than 460 of the airplanes, each backed by refundable $100,000 deposits. Certification of the Cirrus jet is scheduled for late 2010.